


Opportunity

by QueenElenyaHawk



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Romance, Royai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:22:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9488852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenElenyaHawk/pseuds/QueenElenyaHawk
Summary: Major Armstrong makes Col. Mustang an offer that might benefit both Lieutenant Hawkeye and him.





	

It was almost noon in Central when Lieutenant Hawkeye walked up to Colonel Mustang's desk with a huge, extremely muscled man following her. "Sir, Major Armstrong is here to see you."

Roy raised his head from the papers he was working on and set his sight on the blonde woman. Immediately, he recognized his fellow State Alchemist's entire upper body emerging from behind her as well.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he said to her, a barely visible smile accompanying his words, and she went back to her desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Major?"

"I would like to have a private conversation with you, Colonel Mustang, if you wouldn't mind." Alex Louis Armstrong was a man who had mainly only two moods: he was very emotional, or he was very serious. Today, it was the latter.

Roy made eye contact with Riza who was listening to the exchange; it lasted only a second, but the tall man noticed. The other members of his team weren't paying much attention to Armstrong's presence at all.

The Colonel stood up. "Of course; we can talk in my internal office." As he went to the smaller room, he said to Riza, "Lieutenant Hawkeye, bring us two cups of coffee, please."

"Yes, sir." Riza left, and Mustang and Armstrong entered his personal office.

Roy sat down behind his desk and Alex on the armchair in front of him.

"So, Major. What do you want to talk about?"

Armstrong showed him a soft, amiable smile. "You'll see, Colonel, I'm a very observant man. I often pick up on details most people wouldn't even notice." Roy raised an eyebrow and Alex crossed his arms over his wide chest. "I'm going to be direct. I've seen how you look at Lieutenant Hawkeye."

The Flame Alchemist stood cold with surprise. It was something he hadn't expected in the slightest. "What do you mean, exactly? Lieutenant Hawkeye has been my subordinate for years and we've shared a good amount of important moments. Of course I wouldn't look at her the same way I would other female officers." The Strong Arm Alchemist nodded. "And she's nice to look at," Roy added as an after thought with a shrug and Alex chuckled softly.

Two quick knocks on the door interrupted them. Roy opened it and Riza entered with a silver tray with two steaming cups. She laid it on the desk and handed the cups to her superiors; first to Armstrong and then to Mustang. It didn't go unnoticed by the man with the yellow moustache, the way Roy's fingers touched hers when she gave him his coffee, prolonging the contact as much as possible and a second longer, even. A corner of Armstrong's lips lifted, as the brightness in Riza's eyes at the touch was also visible. Soon after, she turned to grab the tray back and walked out the door to leave them alone again.

"You were saying?" Roy continued.

The Major closed his eyes and smiled. "I understand you want to deny this, Colonel. But I'm really perceptive, and it hurts me deeply to see two people who love each other so much be unable to be together!" He opened his eyes and sincere tears started running down his cheeks.

Roy was startled, perplexed, disturbed. He frowned and handed Armstrong a paper tissue from his desk. "I'm afraid you are confused, Major. I don't have romantic feelings for Lieutenant Hawkeye. I'll admit she's very dear to me as a friend, though."

Alex smiled. "I'm not here to accuse you, Colonel, and I have no intentions of reporting you at all. Quite the contrary."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to make an offer that may benefit the two of you greatly."

Roy pursed his lips. He was interested in what Armstrong had to say, but he couldn't show it. "I insist that our relationship is strictly professional. But what did you have in mind, anyway?"

Alex looked at him with seriousness once more; the crying stopped entirely. "I would be pleased to have Lieutenant Hawkeye transferred under my command." Roy's eyes grew big at the words. "If you were under different chains of command, you would be free to be together publicly, and you wouldn't have to abide by the fraternization laws in that case."

Roy stood silent for a moment, thoughtful. This was a big, wonderful opportunity. If he resigned to work with her, he would still be able to see her, to take her out on dates, to visit her every day at her apartment, to stay the entire night. Yes, he loved her. And yes, he wished things were less complicated between them.

The Hawk's Eye, however, was an invaluable soldier that he couldn't afford to lose. Her alertness and accuracy had made her the perfect bodyguard. Her intelligence and diligence, the perfect assistant.

Besides, there was something the Major didn't know. Even if not publicly, even if not physically, he already had her, in every other sense possible.

Roy sighed. "I appreciate your concern, Major Armstrong. But I'm going to decline your offer. I stand by what I said before, and there's no need to give up my First Lieutenant. I thank you however for your good intentions."

Armstrong smiled wryly; he wasn't yet convinced of what he was hearing, but he had to accept it. "Alright, then. I'm sorry to have stolen your time."

"Please, it was good talking to you."

They walked out of the room and into the main office. They saluted each other and before turning to leave, Alex said, "If you ever have a change of heart, my offer will still stand, Colonel."

Roy nodded and smiled. "You're a very kind man, Major."

Armstrong finally left, and since everyone in Roy's team had left for lunch break except for Hawkeye, Colonel and Lieutenant were now alone. She didn't make any questions, but he felt she needed to know.

After looking intently at her for a moment, he sighed. "He wanted to use the matchmaking ability that was passed down the Armstrong family for generations," he said humorously. She lifted an eyebrow. "He offered to transfer you under him."

She blinked. "…Oh. Did you tell him that Lieutanant Colonel Hughes had already tried that?"

He turned his sight to the floor. "I didn't think it was necessary. That Hughes already tried, and that we thought about it. He wouldn't have accepted a 'no' for an answer."

She approached him and spoke softly. "It's not wrong to question things sometimes, Colonel."

He looked at her sadly. "I know. But I still have mixed feelings about this."

She smirked. "Maybe I shouldn't have promised to follow you, sir."

He smiled at her. "No. I prefer it this way."


End file.
